Electronic networking opportunities are virtually ubiquitous. Users with devices such as personal computers (“PCs”), personal digital assistants, portable digital media players, and mobile phones are able to access wide-area networks (“WANs”) and local-area networks (“LANs”) in a wide variety of venues using various protocols and techniques. WANs are wireless or wired geographically dispersed networks generally covering geographic regions of more than a few hundred meters. The Internet, cellular networks, satellite networks, and cable networks are some examples of WANs. Local-area networks (“LANs”) are wireless or wired networks that facilitate the transmission or receipt of information within relatively small physical areas surrounding a device or an entity such as a person or a business (generally, up to a few hundred meters). A wireless LAN (“WLAN”) is generally identified by the air interface protocol(s) used for communication within the WLAN. Currently popular air interface protocols include the Wireless Fidelity (“WiFi”) series of protocols promulgated by the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (“IEEE”).
WANs such as cellular and satellite networks are generally accessible in outdoor areas in all but the most remote areas of many countries. Increasingly, WLANs are available to the public within areas such as retail locations, which are premises at which merchant entities accept consideration from consumers for the transfer of commodities. Examples of retail locations include but are not limited to stores, malls, transportation hubs, hotels, cafes, city blocks, movie theaters, museums, theme parks, and performance venues (such as concert facilities, theaters, and the like). WLAN coverage areas are often referred to as “hotspots”. Generally, a hotspot operator offers Internet access, via a variety of access mechanisms, to wireless-enabled devices within the hotspot.
It is desirable to provide customizable, wireless, location-based systems and services that are operable with WANs or WLANs, via which users of mobile communication devices in the vicinity of physical retail locations receive specific opportunities to engage in e-commerce, using their mobile communication devices, with merchants operating the physical retail locations.
It will be appreciated that the claimed subject matter is not limited to implementations that solve any or all of the disadvantages of specific wireless services, systems or aspects thereof.